Printing roll doctor blade reciprocating mechanism



Feb.17,1942. s. B. STAFF RD Em. 2,213,232

PRINTING ROLL DOCTOR BLADE RECIPROCAT ING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 13, 1939Bnoentors s'fephen 5.51afford Bu Herman A. SmiH-L (J-Linear,Hrberr&(lovay Gimme! Patented Feb. 17, 1942 "PRINTING "ROLL DOCTOR BLADE.RECIPROGATING MECHANISM Stephen B. Stafford, Oxford, and Herman A."Smith, Holden,-Mass.;-assignors to Rice Barton Corporation. acorporation of vMassachusetts Application September 13, 1939, Serial No.294,595

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a connecting rod mechanism and moreparticularly-tea reciprocable mechanism which is :adapted for connectingan oscillating crank arm with-a pivot arm associated with a doctorblaclefor reciprocating the same.

' A textile printing -machine-maycomprise one or more backing cylindersaround which-the fabric to be printed is passed'andpne or more printingrolls heldrunder pressure against the fabric and a backing cylinder.Theprintingroll is-shaped as: a steel mandrel carrying a' removablecopper tube or roll on which the intaglio imprint has been formed. Thisprinting roll has inkapplied thereto by means of;-a transfer roll which"rotates in-an ink bath. It has been'customary to provide 'a thindoctorblade bearing against the printing roll, which is so arranged as toscrape off the excess of ink-and prevent it from contacting withthefabric to be printed. This doctor blade has been 'reciprocated bymechanism connectediindirectly with the power drive of the machine andusually by means of a rocking arm connected to the blade by a linkagerod having bearings at its opposite ends which permits the relativemovement of the parts. Such constructions have-been heretofore so madethat it .hasnot been easy to adjust the bearings for wear.. Hence,whenthe linkage connection has become loose,,the 'doctor blade has.reciprocated with a Jerking motion and. has. notproper-ly' scraped the.ink from .the v-printing roll. It,. moreover, -hasbeen difiicult-tmmount and assemblethe necessary parts in a multiple color printingmachine and particularly one which had a large number of printing rollsarranged opposite the periphery of asingle backing cylinder.

The primary-object of this invention is to providea connecting rodmechanism -which-wil1 serve to connectan oscillating crankarm'orthe likewith a pivot'on' a movable body, such as a doctor blade, which is soconstructed" and arranged that the connecting rod may be releasablyconnected with or "disconnected" from the pivot by manipulationoflo'cking parts-located at a point remote from the pivot and adjacentto the crank arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a connection between areciprocable crank. arm and a pivot arm associated with a doctor bladeor other movable body which may be releasably connected with the pivotby manipulation of parts remote from the'pivot-without requiring ,ablymounted onthe frame I I.

adjustment of the bearings when theparts are assembled.

Another object is to provide .a connecting mechanism of the above typein which all operations required for assembling and adjusting. the pivotbearings may be accomplished. at a point remote from the pivot which isaccessible from the outside of the machine frame. Further objectswill'be apparentin the following disclosure.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment ofthisinvention:

Fig. 1 is an isometric fragmentary view of those parts of a textileprinting machine which pertain to .the present invention;

Fig. 2 is asection on. the line. 22 of Fig.1, showing the doctor bladereciprocating: connecting mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

.Asshown in the drawing, one embodiment "of a textile printing machinemay comprise one or more printing rolls l0 suitably mounted inbearingson .the two opposed side frames II and I2. The cloth to be printedpasses. between the printing rolll0 and.a backing cylinder l4 rotatablymounted in bearings on the frame. An ink transfer'roll I 5 mounted insuitable bearings servesto carry ink from the reservoir [6 to theprinting roll. Connected to rotate with the backing cylinder I 4 is abevel gear l3 meshing with another gear IS on a vertical shaft 20 suit-A bevel 'gearZI at..the-top of .that shaft meshes with another gear 22-on a cross shaft 23 mounted also on the side frame ll. At the outer endof this cross shaft- 23 is a crank arm 24 suitably arranged so that .asthe shaft 231s. rotated'this arm will reciprocate a pitmanrod 25. Thelower end of the pitman. rod is connected to a further crank arm 26 onthe endof a horizontal shaft 21 which serves as a rock shaft and isarranged to transmit the power to. reciprocate the doctor blade.

,The .doctor blade 30 comprises a thin piece of flexible sheet metalwhich contacts at a suitable angle with the surface of the printing rolland in causes it to carry out its intended function of removing excessink from the intaglio surface of the printing roll. The chief problem inprevious constructions has been found in the connecting rod whichtransmits the motion of the rock shaft 21 to the doctor blade 35!. Ourconstruction is intended to provide a connection which permits readycompensation or adjustment for wear, and which is so arranged that therock shaft and associated parts may be located wherever desired and withthe connecting rod at any angle relative to a horizontal line that maybe required for operating each of the numerous doctor blades assembledwith the several printing rolls of a multi-color machine. The drawingillustrates but a single printing roll in order to avoid con-- fusion ofillustration, but it will be appreciated that the printing rolls It! maybe arranged beneath and at both sides of the backing cylinder l4 and inmany positions, so that the reciprocating mechanism for each of thedoctor blades may be suitably arranged and connected with the singlecentral driving mechanism as shown in the drawing.

To these ends, we provide an adjustable connecting rod which connects arocking or oscillating crank arm 40 on the rock shaft 21 and a pivot arm42 secured to the sliding rod 32 which carries the doctor blade. The arm42 has a ball shaped pivot 14 on its outer end, and this ball or pivotis adapted to ride between bearing members 55 and 46 shaped to form asocket for the ball. These are removably and slidably carried within atube 48. This tube is cut away at 49, as shown in Fig. 2, so that theball M may be inserted laterally into the inner space of the tube andthe parts may be adjusted lengthwise of the tube-as required. Provisionmay be also made for introducing oil or grease into the space around theball 44 and the associated surfaces of the bearing members 45 and 2-6.The bearing members 45 and 46 may each be a piece of wood, fiber board,rubber, metal or other suitable material shaped to fit within the end ofthe tube. The short piece 46 is held in place by the screw cap 50threaded on the end of the tube. The long piece or rod 45 projectsoutwardly beyond the lefthand end of the tube 48. The ball M may bereplaced by a pin or other type of pivotal connection.

A buffer or washer 52 of resilient hard rubber or other suitable elasticmaterial, such as a spring, is held within the hollow portion of amanually adjustable head 54 in such a position as to engage the end ofthe rod 45. S aced arms 55 form the sides of this hollow head 54 andthey provide clearance for inserting the elastic body within the head.At their outer ends, the arms are integral with a sleeve 56 slidablvmounted on a bushing 51 threaded on the tube 48. The sleeve 55 has twolocking or bayonet members 58 which are so shaped and arranged that theymay be rotated into interlocking enga ement with the projecting lu s 59on a sleeve 50 which is freely slidable on the tube 43. The engagingfaces of the members 553 and 59 are in parallel planes This sleeve isconnected to the crank arm A!) by a hinged joint formed by a pin 52 andass ciated lugs 63. These lu s 83 are of suitable lengths and preferablysuch that the crank arms M! are all of the same length f r the variousrelative positions of the rock shafts and doctor blades required in amulti-color printing neachine. Because of that hinge connection 62, thesleeve 50 can rock only in one direction; and no matter in whichdirection the rocking crank arm 40 extends, the sleeve 60 will beproperly sup ported and can move only in a reciprocating or pitmanmovement as required. That is, it cannot fall over laterally, as wouldbe the case if a ball joint were provided.

In order to assemblethe parts, the tube 48 is inserted through thesleeve 60 carried by the crank arm 49 and the other parts are put inplace. The bayonet connection between parts 58 and 59 is not made untilafter the ball 44 has been inserted into position between the membersand 455. The rod 55 is thereafter adjusted to tighten the bearing byturning the threaded bushing 51 by inserting a suitable tool into one ofthe holes 64 in the flange of the bushing 51, which thereby positionsthe member 45 relative to the tube 48. This gives a micrometeradjustment of the bearing members and so serves to tighten or loosen thegrip of the bearing members i5 and M5 on the ball head 44. The tube 48is freely slidable through the sleeve which is pivotally connected tothe crank arm 49. To make this connection between the crank arm and thepitman, the adjustable head 54 is slid forward on the bushing 51 untilthe bayonet members are in position, so that upon rotation of the head54 they will be brought into locking engagement. The resilient disk 52,or other suitable spring member, is so positioned that it pushesyieldingly against the rod 45 and thus holds the ball and socket jointin a tight relationship, as determined by the adjustment of the threadedsleeve 51 on the tube 45.

It will now be appreciated that any wear in the ball and socket jointmay be quickly adjusted from a remote position outside of the sideframes and unhampered by the mechanisms of the machine. Once thethreaded bushing 51 has been adjusted on the sleeve 4-8 to give theproper tightness for the ball and socket joint, then the pitman rod maybe disconnected at any time from the doctor blade to permit regrindingthe latter, after which the parts may be again assembled withoutrequiring any further adjustment. That is, it is merely necessary torotate the head 54 to unlock the bayonet connection and release the balland socket joint and thereafter to assemble the ball 44 in position andremake the bayonet connection without adjusting the bushing 51. If weartakes place, the bushing 51 may be adjusted at any time to tighten thejoint while the parts are still connected. The connecting faces of thebayonet joint members do not involve screws, cams or other shapes whichmight change the adjustment of the bearings and the pitman length. Thesefaces are in parallel planes perpendicular to the center line of thepitman. Hence, by means of a single lock mechanism, the pitman may besimultaneously connected at its opposite ends with both the crank armand the doctor blade and without requiring any adjustment for making theconnection. This locking mechanism serves to return the previouslyadjusted parts to predetermined positions. The adjusting bushing 5'! mayor may not be adjusted when the parts are assembled, depending on thetightness of the doctor blade bearing.

By suitably moving the cap 50 and the short bearing member 46 andcorrespondingly moving the bearing rod 45 by means of the threadedbushing 51, the length of the pitman rod may be varied to meet therequirements of the different doctor blades in their various assembledpositions on the machine. In a multi-color printing machine, severalshafts .521 may be locatedin parallelism and alldriven, if desired,-fromone source-of power. 'These various rock shafts-may have-severalcrank arms 40-arranged thereon which extend -either upwardly ordownwardly and are properly located on the shafts in accordance with thepositions of thedoctor blades. In such a machine, the crankarms 40 arepreferably made of the same length and the lugs or ears 63 are made ofdifierent lengths as required so that the throw of each crank arm is thesame. By this construction, we are able to connect an oscillating orrocking crank arm or equivalent construction, such as an eccentric, withthe doctor blade, whatever may be its location, and the adjustments ofpitman length and the bearing tightness may be easily made.

It will be appreciated that many equivalent constructional features maybe substituted for those above described and that the connecting rod maybe utilized for many purposes; hence the claims are to be interpretedaccordingly.

We claim:

1. A connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillating arm, a movablebody having a pivot thereon, a pitman connecting said arm and body whichhas two relatively movable members providing bearing portions engageablewith said pivot and clamping the same therebetween and means remote fromthe pivot for connecting said members thereto or releasing the pivottherefrom,

2. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising a power drivenoscillating arm, a

pivot connected to move a body, a pitman conmeeting said arm and pivotwhich includes two members releasably engaging said pivot therebetweenand a releasable locking device adjacent the end of the pitman andoperable at a point remote from the pivot for connecting said memberswith the pivot without requiring adjustment of the tightness of thebearings thereof.

3. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillating arm,a pivot connected with a body to be moved, a pitman connecting said armand pivot having two relatively movable members providing bearings whichhold the pivot therebetween, and means including a resilient memberlocated on the pitman remote from the pivot for clamping said membersagainst the pivot or for entirely releasing the pivot and permittingremoval of the pitman.

4. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven arm, a pivotconnected to move a body, a pitman connecting said arm and body whichhas two relatively movable members providing bearing portions engageablewith said pivot and releasably clampingthe same therebetween, areleasable member on the pitman remote from the pivot which holds saidmembers clamped against the pivot or serves to release the pivotentirely therefrom and means remote from the pivot for moving saidmembers relative to the pivot to adjust the bearings.

5. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillatingcrank arm, a pivot connected to a movable body, a pitman having a hingeconnection with said crank arm which prevents lateral movement of thepitman and means at the end of the pitman adjacent to the hingeconnection for releasably connecting said pitman with the pivot andadjusting the tightness of the pivot bearings which provides for acomplete release of the pivot from the pitman and removal or assembly ofthe latter;

' 6. A--connectingrod mechanism comprising: a power-drivenoscillatingarm, a pivot connected to -move -a body, a pitman releasably .andadjustably connecting said armand pivot which has two relatively movablemembers providing bearing portions engageable with the pivot andclamping it therebetween and means including a locking member on thepitman at the opposite end from the pivot which releasably connects saidmembers with the pivot without requiring adjustment of the bearings andmeans operable at a point remote from the pivot for adjusting thebearings.

7. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising a power drivenoscillating crank arm, an arm having a pivot connected to a movable bodyand arranged at an angle relative to the plane of reciprocation of thecrank arm, a pitman connecting said crank arm and pivot arm having tworelatively movable members providing bearings which clamp the pivottherebetween and means at the end of the pitman engaging said crank armfor releasably moving said members into bearing contact with the pivotand for adjusting the bearings, said parts being so constructed andarranged that the pivot may be entirely released from the pitman and.the latter returned to a bearing connection without requiring adjustmentof the bearings.

8. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillatingcrank arm, a pivot connected with a movable body, a pitman connectingsaid crank arm and pivot having two relatively movable members providingbearings which clamp the pivot therebetween, a slidable part pivotallyconnected with the crank and slidable on one of said members, and alocking head which releasably connects said part and its associatedmember and clamps the bearings against the pivot.

9. A connecting rod for a reciprocable member comprising an oscillatingcrank arm, a pivot connected to said member, and a pitman connectingsaid arm and pivot having two relatively movable members providingbearings clamping the pivot therebetween for any angular position of thepivot relative to the plane of movement of the crank arm, a locking headlocated at the crank arm end of the pitman which is releasably connectedto one member and carries a resilient buffer engaging the other memberand means associated with the head for relatively adjusting thepositions of said members so as to tighten the bearings, said partsbeing so constructed and arranged that the pitman may be releasably connected with or disconnected from the pivot by manipulation of said headat a point remote from the pivot.

10. A connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillating crank arm, alaterally projecting pivot connected to a reciprocable member and apitman connecting said crank arm and pivot comprising a tube having alateral opening near one end and a bearing block close to the opening, arod slidable within the tube and forming a second bearing, said pivotprojecting into the opening and being clamped between the bearings, andan adjustable locking head on the pitman at the end remote from thepivot which releasably secures said tube and rod in bearing engagementwith said pivot.

11. A connecting rod for a reciprocable member comprising anoscillatable crank arm, a pivot connected with said member, and a pitmanconnecting said crank arm and pivot having a tube and a rod slidabletherein, each of which provides a bearing clamping the pivottherebetween. a sleeve pivotally connected with the crank arm withinwhich said tube slides, a locking head on the end of the pitman remotefrom the pivot which releasably engages said sleeve, a buffer on saidlocking head engaging the end of the rod when the bearings are inposition and means for relatively adjusting the tube and rod and therebytightening the bearings, said parts being so constructed and arrangedthat the pivot may be entirely released from the pitman by manipulationof the head at a point remote from the pivot.

STEPHEN B. STAFFORD.

HERMAN A. SMITH.

